Japan and the United States plan to hold summit talks between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump in Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders’ meeting in mid-June, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Before the three-day G7 gathering from Sunday, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is expected to visit Washington for the sixth round of ministerial-level negotiations on the Trump tariffs, to take place on Friday, setting the stage for the meeting between their two countries’ leaders, according to the sources.
The Japanese government had another option for Ishiba to travel to the United States before the G7 summit in Kananaskis, and meet in person with Trump, depending on progress on negotiations at the ministerial level.
But the past rounds of negotiations failed to resolve differences between the two nations and Akazawa, who is a close aide to Ishiba, aims to continue with his efforts to bridge the gap over Trump’s tariff policy.
Akazawa will head to Canada following the ministerial meeting to continue communicating with Ishiba until the last minute. The minister for economic revitalization will return to Japan on June 18, according to the sources.
Japan has demanded that the Trump administration remove its tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum, along with a 10 percent baseline levy as part of what is called a “reciprocal” tariff. It is also opposed to the 14 percent country-specific portion of the reciprocal tariff, which has been suspended for 90 days from early April as negotiations continue.
But Tokyo has begun to consider whether it will accept reduced tariff rates as the United States has consistently refused to eliminate the duties, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.
Japan and the United States are aiming to reach a deal at the earliest possible time.
Ishiba has repeatedly underscored the need for the longtime allies to focus on boosting investment and creating jobs in the United States. Trump is seeking to reduce his country’s massive trade deficit with Japan.
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AloJapan.com